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Valve cover gasket - regular or silicone?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sojourner
  • Start date Start date

Valve cover gasket - regular or silicone?

  • Regular

    Votes: 8 100.0%

  • Silicone

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • "Gasket? I don't need no stinking gasket!"

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .
S

Sojourner

Guest
After reading BassCliff's site it would appear that the reusable silicone gaskets are a nice-to-have since us 16v owners need to check clearances as part of our regular 4000 mile maintenance. After doing a search however, t would appear that some members have less than favorable experiences with the reusable silicone gaskets- namely with leaks.

So seeing as how I am going to be checking mine on my new (to me) GS1100E, I'm just trying to determine which route to go. Normal OEM gasket or a reusable silicone one?

Thanks in advance!
 
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I have used two Real Gaskets on my bike. Both of them leaked. The second one leaked quite badly to the point where I would loose a quart of oil every 200 miles or so. Replaced it with an OEM gasket and has been leak free since.
 
Also silicone gaskets are too thick if your tach drive mounts in the valve cover. You end up ruining the gears because they don't mesh fully
 
I have a RealGasket on my GS1100GK. Have had no problems - leak or otherwise.
 
For your engine, no.

Do NOT use a Realgasket on any engine with the tach drive in the valve cover. I think this means most or all of the 16V engines. The thickness of the gasket is critical on these engines, so use OEM only -- most, if not all, aftermarket gaskets are too thin or too thick.The 16V engines also have very skinny edges where the gasket sits, so a Realgasket is more prone to "squirt" out.

I used a Realgasket on my GS850G for over 60,000 miles (yes, that's at least 15 valve checks) with no problems.

I switched to a regular OEM gasket because I installed new half-moons, and it turned out that the Realgasket couldn't develop enough pressure to seat the half-moon seals properly.

I've been re-using the same OEM gasket ever since -- just checked the valves again yesterday, in fact. I've lost track, but it's been off and on at least six times. It still works fine, but if it ever tears or deteriorates, I'll pull my old Realgasket out of the Ziploc bag it's stored in and slap it back on -- the half-moons are nicely squished now.

If you FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS and can understand the difference between inch-pounds and foot-pounds, Realgaskets will pretty much last indefinitely.
 
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I've always favored the silicone on my car motor rebuilds, but in the case of my GS- it was 25$ down the tube. Leaked like a bugger. Wasn't happy with the company's answer as well. On a GS my input is OEM- leak free.
 
RealGaskets on both my 850 and the 1100. Many miles on both. Don't overtighten them, you'll be fine.
 
Like it or not I have to use the OEM gasket due to my tach gear being on the valve cover. Intellectually I can see the value of a silicone gasket though.
 
I would really love to try one of the reusable gaskets, but I am uneasy about the light torque required. If there was a system to keep it from crushing while applying the proper torque specs for those bolts, such as several dowel pins or spacers integrated in there somehow, I would be sold. Oh, and the color.
 
I like the orange color, makes people think I used that silicone gasket maker, then they try it and there are more questions answer about how come their bike is so messed up.......:D
 
I used one... It was ok the first couple of times I removed the cover but eventually it leaked. I didn't like the finger tight bolts either.
I use OEM or aftermarket now... Put grease on them to stop them sticking :)
 
Someone said Realgakets will not sell you one for a in cover tach drive engine because of the problems it causes.Went OEM on the 1000 and OEM on the 750 is reusable
 
The trouble with such gaskets..like the Real Gaskets ones..is that you cant tighten the bolts very mich before the rubber squishes out and gets deformed and allows leakage spots. You have to use some removable locktite on the bolts so they dont wiggle out and fall off the bike. OEM suzuki gaskets are hands down the way to go...unless you like oil all over the engine.
 
chuck hahn said:
The trouble with such gaskets..like the Real Gaskets ones..is that you cant tighten the bolts very mich before the rubber squishes out and gets deformed and allows leakage spots. You have to use some removable locktite on the bolts so they dont wiggle out and fall off the bike. OEM suzuki gaskets are hands down the way to go...unless you like oil all over the engine.
Click to expand...

I never used any sort of thread locker on my Realgasket, and in fact, the threads usually had some random oil on them -- I never really cleaned them off. Never had a bolt back out.
 
i've had my realgasket on the 850 for close to 4500 miles now.

started noticing some seepage (not a leak, just tiny bit of oil) about 3 weeks ago, felt one of the bolts was looser than the rest. retorqued and it's fine again, spotless. the seeping was a nice reminder that it's time for a valve adjustment.

yes, the rubber will squish, IF you overtighten it. on the other hand, IF you read and follow the INSTRUCTIONS, it will not :p

ymmv, OEM might be easier in some respects but i like not having to scrape or replace this.
 
If you put a film of grease or anti seize on the head side of the gasket you dont scrape anything..it will come right off when you remove the cover.
 
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